400 Consecutive Months of Above Average Temperatures Globally

NOAA released their monthly climate report, and the results are certainly not surprising. Despite it being the coldest April since 2013, the month ended with above-average temps, making it the 400th consecutive month of above average temperatures globally. That’s over 33 years of above temperatures!

According to NOAA, “The average global temperature for April 2018 was 1.49 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 56.7 degrees.” That makes it the third warmest April in the 139-year record database (1880–2018). On top of this, nine of the ten warmest Aprils have occurred since 2005, highlighting how our planet has continued to warm in the past decade. This year’s April marks the 42nd consecutive April with temperatures above the 20th-century average.

This month’s warmth has led to some notable events around the globe. The average Arctic sea ice extent was 6.8 percent below the 1981-2010 average, ranking it the second smallest extent since records began in 1979. In the Antarctic, sea ice extent was also below-average at 12.3 percent below normal, making it the fifth smallest on record for April. In its report, NOAA also remarks that “the globally averaged, land surface temperature ranked ninth warmest for April and sixth warmest for the year to date (through April),” and that “the globally averaged sea surface temperature was fourth warmest for April and fifth warmest for the year to date.” It’s also worth noting how South America and Europe had their warmest April on record.

Jackson is Head of Content at WeatherOptics and produces several forecasts and manages all social media platforms. Previously, Jackson forecasted local weather for southwestern Connecticut, founding his website, Jackson's Weather, in the March of 2015. He is currently studying Meteorology and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Miami.